#EndTVAnimalSuffering

 

Overview:

Sadly, animal cruelty and suffering is seen far too often on UK television, which has led to countless complaints, especially over recent years. (The Island with Bear Grylls (Shine TV/Channel 4) and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! (ITV) being recent examples).

Without Ofcom rules and guidelines to specifically address animal welfare, many productions are getting away with failing to meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act when filming abroad.

We believe that the Animal Welfare Act is extremely important and that any UK television production to be aired on UK television should adhere to this Act at all times. 

This petition calls on Ofcom to take immediate action and introduce rules and guidelines that make it an absolute requirement for UK TV production companies to adhere to the Animal Welfare Act at all times, even when filming abroad.

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The Animal Welfare Act:

As summarised by the RSPCA;

"Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which applies in England and Wales, those responsible for an animal have a duty of care to provide for the animal's needs.

Providing for the needs of an animal includes giving the animal a suitable environment and diet, allowing the animal to behave normally, housing the animal with or apart from other animals (as appropriate), protecting the animal from pain, injury, suffering and disease, and meeting any other needs the animal may have."

 

It is well-known that animal welfare laws abroad can often be far more relaxed than those that have been set in the UK. Therefore, dependent on where they are filming, UK production companies and broadcasters are currently able to get away with not meeting the standards that the Animal Welfare Act sets out.*

This is extremely disappointing, given that the laws we have in the UK are there for a reason and carry a significant role to protect animals against unnecessary suffering.

UK television viewers rely on Ofcom to regulate TV programming and it is very distressing to know that programming on our screens is featuring animal suffering caused by UK TV companies that violates UK animal welfare laws.

This is why we are calling on Ofcom, as the UK's communications regulator, to take action now.

 

* Example: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/may/13/bear-grylls-pig-the-island

 

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WE ARE CALLING ON OFCOM TO INTRODUCE RULES THAT MAKE THE FOLLOWING MANDATORY FOR ANY UK PRODUCTION COMPANY OR BROADCASTER FILMING WITH ANIMALS:

 

1.   For any UK production company or broadcaster using animals to meet the requirements set out in the Animal Welfare Act at all times, even when filming abroad. 

 

2.   UK production companies to be held responsible for any and all animals in their care. This needs to be the case whether they are in pre-production, filming or post-production. When an animal is in their possession, they should have a duty of care to provide for that animal's needs at all times, on and off-camera, in whichever country they are filming, in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act.

 

3.   We call on Ofcom to introduce a sanctioning system for any UK production company or broadcaster found to be in breach of the Animal Welfare Act at any time when animals are in their care. (This includes pre-production and post production, as well as during filming.)

 

4.   For any UK production company responsible for animal slaughter in their programming to be required to ensure that these animals are slaughtered as humanely as possible and in accordance with UK law, whether this takes place in the UK or abroad. Current UK law requires animals to be stunned before slaughter. We ask that UK laws with regards to slaughter are strictly followed by UK production companies, in order to minimise animal suffering. If this cannot be achieved, then the slaughter of animals should not take place at all. 

Many would argue that animals should not be killed for television entertainment purposes at all, which is something that Ofcom should also seriously consider. 

 

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At the moment, there are no Ofcom rules or guidelines directly addressing animal welfare. 

Without these rules in place and sanctions enabled to be imposed, animals are facing unnecessary suffering in UK television production, which understandably causes upset to viewers as well as distress to those animals.

We therefore call on Ofcom to take immediate action to introduce the above rules, requiring that UK TV companies adhere to the Animal Welfare Act at all times, even when filming abroad.